What It's Worth
by everybreatheverymove
Summary: Three-shot. Set during 6x10. April never returned back to Ohio after being fired for the first time, and instead spends the holidays with her fellow Mercy Westers. Japril friendship and cuteness ahead.
1. Thanksgiving

**This was meant to be a one-shot, but instead I think it'll be easier as a three-shot. So, here is the Thanksgiving chapter. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for the Christmas chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**THANKSGIVING**

"April!"

She rolls her eyes at the sound of her best friend's voice screeching. She lifts her head slightly and looks behind her to peek at the other girl. "Yes?"

Reed storms into their cramped living room, an agitated look on her face and her hands placed on her hips, "Move your crap." She tells her simply, picking up a stack of books from off of the floor and throwing them down on the table. "Seriously, it's like a yard sale in here!"

April stands up slowly and pushes her hair behind her ears. She sighs and bends down to pick up some magazines, "Look, I need a job, okay? Because, in case you've forgotten, I'm not a surgeon anymore because I got fired." She neatly piles the magazines on the table and takes a deep breath, "So, I am searching, and looking, and trying to find something, anything, to keep me busy. To keep me alive. To pay my rent."

She folds her arms across her chest when she's finished and watches as Reed glances through the pages of the top magazine.

"It's been a freaking month, April. Why don't you just go back to Ohio or something?" She suggests.

April pauses and bites her lip, "You- Do you not want me here?" She asks nervously. She knows that she can get annoying and irritating, and she's a neurotic mess, and Reed had called her out on it one-too-many times. But maybe now she'd had enough.

The pixie-like brunette smiles and pats her friend's shoulder, "I didn't say that, I just- Maybe it'd be easier to find a job in Ohio than it is here in Seattle..."

"I would, but- I never actually- I haven't told my parents?"

Reed gasps and folds her arms, "You haven't told them you got fired? April, you have to tell them. You never know, maybe they can help."

"Oh, yeah, right. My mom would have me volunteering at the school, or my dad would have me picking up pig poo for the rest of my life if they had their way. I am not telling them."

"Well, you can't just sit around here all day every day looking for work. You're smart, even smarter than me, so you should be able to find a job."

The doorbell interrupts her thoughts and April blinks a few times.

Reed grins, "That must be the guys." She heads over to open the door and April walks into the kitchen when she hears her two former co-workers enter her apartment.

She knows that it's Thanksgiving and that she has a lot to be grateful for. Her parents, her sisters, her friends, her life. But she's missing her job, and her career, so she's not feeling all that thankful.

"Apes!" She suddenly feels two big arms wrap around her waist and pull her into a hug.

She smiles and hugs her friend back, "Charles!" It's been a couple of days since she's last seen him, and she was starting to forget his cheesy grin and deep laugh.

"How've you been? Found any work yet?" He asks, pulling away from her with a smile.

She shakes her head and scratches the back of her neck, "Nope, not yet."

"You will, eventually." Reed pipes in as she walks in front of her.

"Worse comes to worse, you could always work at the Dairy Queen." Jackson peeks over Reed's shoulder as he enters with a smirk, holding his arms out.

April laughs as she steps closer to hug him. For the past two years, they haven't exactly been very good friends, but this last year had been different. Ever since they'd left Mercy West for Seattle Grace, they'd become much more friendly toward each other. Then, she'd been fired, and he'd started to drift off with the Seattle Grace people, and they hadn't seen each other in a while.

She pulls away from him and anxiously tucks her head. He's always kind of made her bashful and nervous, and she figures that his looks probably play a major part in that. He's like ridiculously attractive, she thinks, and she's never been close friends to anybody of the opposite sex. Much less, anybody of the opposite sex that looks like him.

Jackson drapes an arm around her shoulder and smiles, "We got some beers and pizza. That's good for Thanksgiving, right?"

Reed nods, "And we have a TV and music. I'd say that's a pretty decent dinner for four grown ups. Wouldn't you?"

Charles lightly touches her waist, "You really know what I want, don't you?"

The brunette brushes him off with a huff and a grin in April's direction. She walks off into the living area and sits herself down on the floor. April follows her lead and sits down on the couch. The boys grab the beers and pizza from the table and follow them, seating down comfortably on the ground. Reed flicks on the TV to the NFL and opens up the first box of freshly baked pizza. "You only got Hawaiian. Charles, you know I don't like ham!" She scolds him and smacks his chest, ignoring his chuckle that follows.

"How about I have your ham and you can take my pineapple?"

April grimaces, "That's disgusting."

They all sit and eat, chatter and argue for the next couple of hours until Reed stands up and turns on her stereo. She blasts some loud song and starts to dance along to the music until April dampens her mood.

"Reed, we have neighbours." She reminds her.

"Please, April, our only neighbours are that really old guy and that really hot guy. Mr. Arnolds is, like, 90 or whatever, so he's gonna die soon anyway. And, please, if Mr. Fine Ass comes banging on the door, I'll just flash him. Or, you know, you can." She smirks and cranks the music up louder, throwing her head back.

April shakes her head with a groan as she tucks her legs beneath herself on the couch and pulls her long hair into a loose ponytail. She closes her eyes and leans her head back against the cushions, not even noticing when Jackson plops down beside her.

"What's up, Teacher's Pet?" He teases and she slumps her shoulders with a sigh.

She's never really appreciated his nickname for her. Teacher's Pet, because as interns, she'd always been asking their resident questions and taking notes.

"Teacher's Pet, really? I thought you stopped calling me that a year ago?" She asks and he grins in reply.

"I guess I just couldn't let it go." He winds her up, shuffling closer to her on the couch. She stiffens and refuses to look up at his face, instead focusing on the empty beer bottles on the floor.

She goes to stand up and speaks, "I guess I should clean-" He stops her from budging by tugging on her hand and pulling her back down beside him. April doesn't move and daringly looks up at his face. Oh crap, those. She doesn't understand why she gets so fidgety and tense around him, and she reminds herself that she's not a fourteen-year old girl anymore.

But maybe, she thinks, if somebody would have looked at her like that when she were fourteen, she wouldn't feel like this now.

"You're really... You're a good doctor, April." He tells her sincerely, his green eyes pooling into hers. "You made one mistake. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes."

"Yeah, but not every mistake leads to someone dying."

He rests a hand on her leg and brushes her knee, "It was a bad day, okay? Anybody could have made the same mistake. It could have been me. It could have been Reed, or Charles. Hell, it could've been Shepherd. It was a bad day, and it was you, and it wasn't me, and it wasn't Reed. It was you. You got fired for one little slip. And, I'm not making any sense, but just- You're a good person. And you're a good doctor, so don't let one little fault make you think you're not."

She smiles and bites her lip, choosing to wrap her arms around his neck to hug him. "Why are you so perfect?"

Jackson laughs and rests a hand on the back of her head, caressing her hair, "I'm not, believe me."

April leans away and raises an eyebrow, "You don't seem all that terrible to me."

He licks his lips and scratches his forearm irritably, "I'm not terrible, I'm just a coward. I can tell you what you want to hear, I can give you a thousand reasons if you ask me something, but I'm a coward. I give up too easily. I start something, and then I won't finish it. If I want something, I won't go and get it, I'll just wait for it to come to me. And if it doesn't, well then, that's that. I'll love someone and then rebound onto someone else just because my feelings got hurt, it doesn't even matter if I still want the other person. If people are better off without me, if there's a chance that they'll be happier without me, then I'll walk away. I'm a coward, April. You just don't know it yet."

She finds it hard to believe that he gives up, that he lets things that he wants slide. He's an Avery for crying out loud, shouldn't he be a fighter...

"I don't know it _yet_?"

He sighs, "Just in case, you know? I don't wanna hurt you, April. But, if I have to walk away, then I will."

She just stares up at him for a while, watching the way he laughs as Charles dances with Reed, and as Reed pushes him off with a giggle.

April's not entirely certain what he means, but she's sure that one day she'll understand. And, if that inevitable day comes and he walks away from her, she promises herself to call him out for being a coward, for not fighting for whatever it was between them.

She's just not quite sure what that will be yet.


	2. Christmas

**It's actually a lot harder to write this then I'd thought, mainly because I'm basing it on, well, nothing. Plus, my computer's been a little bitch for the past two weeks and I was gonna update this fic a week ago but I couldn't. But whatever, I'll try to make it the best I can for you guys. Also, I should be updating Closing Time over the weekend or on Monday. Anyway, enjoy and keep reviewing! :)**

* * *

**CHRISTMAS EVE**

"Fuck!"

He turns when he hears Charles curse from across the room, his foot slipping from the ladder.

The heavier man groans, resting his hand over his ankle.

Jackson chuckles and walks over to his friend, a teasing look on his face, "Dude, what happened?" He crosses his arms and waits for the other man's response.

Charles mutters something under his breath before answering him, "I was tying up the mistletoe and then the ladder budged-"

"Mistletoe," Jackson squints, "What are you, twelve?"

Ingoring his sarcastic question, Charles tries to stand and continues, "Fuck you, man. The ladder moved and then I fell, okay? Piece of crap!" He pushes against the ladder, watching as it slides further across the wodden floor.

Jackson just rolls his eyes and stuffs his hands in his pockets, "You might wanna hurry up with your 'decorating' because the girls are gonna be here any minute." He says before walking away into the kitchen.

Charles groans again with a frown, slamming his fist against the wall when the doorbell rings a minute later.

It's only when he moves his fist that he notices the hole he's just made.

"Ah, shit!"

"What the hell-"

The front door opens and Reed walks into their living room, a six pack of beer in her left hand and a plastic bag in her right. "Holy shit, Charlie!" She exclaims, noticing the punctured cream wall and the guilty-looking tall doctor beside it.

April trails behind her, her arms heavily carrying a huge plate. She seems to struggle and Jackson steps closer to her. He frowns for a second and points down at the dish, "What is that?"

She smiles with a soft shrug, "I grew up on a farm with a pretty big family, and it's not really Christmas if there's no dinner. So," She hands him the plate with a huff and lifts the edge of the aliminium foil, "I cooked a turkey."

He smells the dish and smiles with a satisfied grin, "Wow, that smells good. I may have to marry you for your cooking alone." He jokes.

April pauses, a soft blush rising to her cheeks as she undoes the buttons of her coat. "Yep, maybe."

"You find a job yet, April?"

She turns to answer Charles' question, finding her words all jumbled up, "I, uh- Not- Not yet."

Charles nods with a faint smile and steals a beer from Reed, holding it up, "Cheers to that."

Reed smacks his chest at his sarcastic comment and April fakes a smile and glances down at the floor. She suddenly feels an arm wrap around her shoulders and a beer appear in front of her face, "Ignore him. Okay?" She looks up to see Jackson stood before her, a convincing smile on his lips and a friendly grin on his face. "You're gonna be fine."

She bites her bottom lip and accepts the drink from him. "You think?"

He nods and pats her shoulder, "You're gonna be fine." He simply repeats, and it seems to do the job. He walks around her towards the kitchen but stops in his tracks behind her, and she softly shivers when she feels his breath down her neck, "Trust me."

By the time her blush turns to a smile, he's already in the kitchen, rummaging through the drawers for something.

April shakes her head with a cold shrug and sighs, watching as he triumphantly holds out a huge knife and fake stabs Charles.

"Dude, relax, it was a joke."

Charles frowns, "Whatever, it's not funny." He complains, pointing out his beer, "A knife's too easy, man. It could slip."

"I'd rather be shot, there's a higher survival rate." Reed pipes in before taking a swig of her drink.

"Yeah, in the leg maybe. You get shot in the leg, you're fine. You get it in the head, you're gone." April tells her, matter-of-factly.

Jackson smirks, "Come on then, Teacher's Pet. How do you want to go out? With a bang?"

April falters, carefully watching the sharp knife in his hand, "I- uh-" She gulps and glances to Reed when she cuts her off.

"Bang. Bang. Bang." She fakes a gunshot to her head and collapses into Charles' arms. Noticing the stunned look on her friend's face, she groans, "Come on, April. It was just a joke."

The longer haired brunette smiles, "I know, I just-" She's not even sure why they're talking about death, or how they'd rather die, or even faking it, "I don't know how I'd want to die."

"I think I could die in a fire." Jackson speaks up and April frowns, "Not like, a proper fire. But like an explosion or something cool. Saving an old person, saving a kid. That'd be kinda neat."

April raises an eyebrow, "Being burnt alive probably isn't the best way to go, Jackson."

He shakes his head with a look at her, "Nah, an explosion's different. You'd barely feel it."

"You're such an idiot." Reed laughs.

"What, at least it'd be heroic. Unlike you, getting shot and all." He teases.

Reed raises an eyebrow, "I could be saving someone."

"Probably not." Charles butts in, a childish grin on his face when she glares at him. "Oh, come on, don't pretend you'd give your life for someone else."

She frowns, "Shut up, Charlie."

April finally speaks up, a tired look on her face as she stares at her watch, noticing the Midnight tick tock, "Merry Christmas."

Jackson glances at her from the corner of his eye with a smirk, amused at her comment. "Merry Christmas."

* * *

It only takes a few glasses of wine and eggnog to get her going.

They observe their friend from across the room, watching the way she knocks over a glass and almost falls from the table.

"April, watch it! Those are expensive." Reed warns her, folding her arms over her chest.

Charles laughs and pulls Reed slightly backwards behind Jackson, who's too busy admiring his friend's ass as he tilts his head. He watches surprised as she spins around and giggles to herself, the alcohol clearly getting to her head.

"You can not be serious!" Jackson turns at Reed's words and grins when his spots the pair standing in the doorway, under the conveniently placed mistletoe.

Charles has a mischevious look on his face, and Reed looks pissed off.

"Oh, what's that?" Charles teases her with an evil smirk as he points to the head of the doorway.

Reed groans, "Shut up." Instead of beating around the bush, she quickly grasps his shirt and pulls him forward, kissing him square on the lips.

Jackson takes the hint and moves away, heading over to the drunk brunette dancing by herself.

"Jackson!" April exclaims as he steps closer, resting his palms down on the table. She drops her cup and smiles, kneeling down on the counter and facing him. "Dance with me?"

He notices the slightly dangerous and all-too-willing look in her eye and he falters with a gulp, "I, uh- I'm not much of a dancer."

He can't even think about it.

She's his friend, his good and nice and sweet friend who he's kind of picturing naked.

He can't even think about it. So, he brushes it off.

"Come on!" She grabs his hands and goes to stand up again, trying to pull his heavier weight up with her.

Jackson chuckles, "Oh, you're so strong." He jokes until she lets his hands drop and frowns with a pout.

"Why won't you dance with me?"

_Because I'm partially drunk and I can't stand behind you right now._

"I don't dance."

"You're such a party-pooper."

Only April could say party-pooper.

He finally gives in, and pushes himself up on the kitchen counter with a sigh. He sticks his hands in his pockets as she moves about. "I don't dance."

April rolls her eyes and rests her hands on his shoulders to steady herself out. She blinks a couple of times and bites her bottom lip with a faint blush from being in such close proximity.

Jackson smiles at her modesty and can't help but wonder at her sudden silence, "What?"

She doesn't speak, but instead just points over his head, "I swear, I had no idea that was there."

Noticing the small leaf of mistletoe above them, Jackson mutters something under his breath about Charles before he glances down at her. "You're a girl of tradition, right?" He cups the sides of her face in his hands, ignoring the shocked look on her face.

April shrugs, "Yes, but-"

He's kissing her.

He's kissing her, she repeats to herself, her fingertips grasping at the back of his neck subconsciously.

It's not rough, or overly passionate, it's plain and sweet, a mistletoe moment between two casual friends. That's all.

Then, she's pulling away and avoiding his gaze.

"That was..." Jackson pauses, finding his words as he grips her waist, "different." It's probably not the best word he could have chosen, but it's the only one springing to mind.

April nods slowly, carefully budging her shoulders with a soft smile, "Yeah, let's never do that again."

They both laugh for a short second, until the song swaps and Reed calls out to them.

"Jackson, we have to leave for work soon!"

He groans, mentally kicking himself for agreeing to work on Christmas Day. He didn't think he'd be slightly intoxicated with a growing headache.

"Right." He lets go April's side and sighs, hoping down from the counter, clearly missing the brief yet disappointed look on her face.

She brushes it off quickly, unsure why it was there in the first place, and smiles. "You're all working today?"

"Yep." Reed tells her as she picks her jacket up from the sofa. "I should finish around lunch, though."

"Same."

Jackson sighs, "I have no idea." He tilts his head side to side to rid the slight pain, "You can hang around here, though." He informs April, "Make us some more delicious food."

"You're such a pig!" She swats his chest with the back of her hand and laughs as she follows them toward the door, watching as the boys pick up their coats from the hook on the wall.

"Oh, come on!" Reed shrieks, finding her mouth smashed against Charles' as he hangs a piece of mistletoe over her.

The tall doctor pulls away with a triumphant grin, "I can't wait until next year."

"Yeah, if you're still alive." Jackson speaks.

Reed pokes the dorky man's chest, "Sleep with one eye open, Charlie."

"Why, are you gonna be sharing my bed?"

She mutters a quick goodbye to April before heading out the door into the cold Seattle weather. Charles follows her lead, throwing the leaf behind him for Jackson to catch.

He chuckles to himself and shares an amused look with the petite brunette.

She swallows a breath before shyly taking the mistletoe from him and holding it in front of him.

Instead of kissing him as he expected her to, despite the awkwardness, she leans up and places a kiss on his cheek before sinking back down on her feet.

"Merry Christmas, Jackman."

He just smiles, staring down at her for a moment before he walks away, "Merry Christmas, April Kepner."


End file.
